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More Than Just a Little Brouhaha – Robert Piguet Petit Fracas Perfume Review

The sheer thought of a Fracas flanker is enough to send most fumenerds in to fits of fear-induced hysterics. Such is always the case when a classic is reinterpreted for the modern generation, just take Shalimar Parfum Initial for example, the blogosphere practically imploded upon hearing the news of a pink-ified Shalimar (more on that one later), so it would not be un-wise to expect the same reaction for the arrival of Petit Fracas.

Yes that’s right, I said “Petit Fracas” as in “Little Fracas”. But fear ye not, the people over at Fashion Fragrances and Cosmetics Ltd (who own the licence for Piguet Parfums) have taken great care in the re-launch of Piguet’s classics and they have applied the very same amount of care to this reinterpretation of the original.

“Play the game of love with Petit Fracas de Robert Piguet. The scent has an audacious air, inspired by our iconic Fracas. Petit is fresh, youthful and feminine, with a playful innocence. Flirtatious and charming […] elegant and enchanting, but not too serious, Petit Fracas is a chic floral bouquet, perfect for flirty fashionistas or fashionistas at heart.”

Aiming for a younger woman who is not quite ready to step into the 9 inch stilettos of the original, Petit Fracas (created by Aurelien Guichard who has been responsible for all of the Piguet relaunches and new scents) mashes modern tastes with the haute couture style of one of perfumery’s most infamous characters. She’s the wild child of an even wilder parent; living, loving and vying for attention.

I am a faithful and adoring wearer of Fracas, a fragrance that is as vamp as they come. In a world where fragrances aim to please Fracas does the exact opposite; she wants to cause a riot, drink and dance all night and she doesn’t care who she upsets in the process. She is a 1940s glamour puss dressed in hot pink and wearing blood red lipstick.

Petit Fracas isn’t entirely different, she still likes to get glammed up and paint the town pink on a friday night, however she is more likely to leave the boys wanting more after a quick kiss than she is to be seen doing the walk of shame (or stride of pride) the next morning. She knows how to have fun, and a lot of it at that, but she chooses to flirt rather than give herself away at the end of the night. To put it simply: she’s a real heartbreaker.

But how does all of this translate into smell? Well, Petit Fracas is much fresher from the outset, replacing the original’s ripe, peachy top notes for dewy, sparkling pear. This fruitier top section is very much in line with more modern sensibilities but it never feels dumbed down or out of place, in fact it acts as a palatable contrast for the heaviness for which it precedes.

Fracas is infamous for her huge buttery blast of sweet tuberose and Petit Fracas very much keeps the spirit of the original’s killer-floral well and truly alive, however the flowers are more refined and less likely to send people running for the hills. Don’t get me wrong, Petit Fracas remains unmistakably Fracas, however she doesn’t scream “tuberose” at the top of her lungs, instead leaning more towards an intensely sweet floral blend than a tube-fest. Think of the florals here as more vixen than vamp and you’re on the right track.

The biggest difference between mother and daughter is that where Fracas became a bit of a skank with indole and civet, hinting at the tousled bedsheets of the night before, Petit Fracas turns decidedly gourmand with a wonderful, and entirely delicious blend of dark chocolate ganache and heavy-hitting musk. This gourmand facet really is wonderful, it gives Petit Fracas the darkness and bitterness required to stop her from being just a Bubblegum Princess (with Fracas being the Bubblegum Queen) whilst at the same time adding a contemporary twist on a classic floral style.

Sometimes people question whether these demi-classics justify their own existence and they are right to ask. My personal view is that when done right, a la Shalimar Parfum Initial, N°5 Eau Premiere and in this case Petit Fracas, these modern remixes can offer an entirely new fragrance that remains respectful of the original whilst having the confidence and quality to stand alone in their own right. I certainly wouldn’t want to live in a world where these fragrances didn’t exist.

If Fracas was always a little bit too much for you then I would highly recommend that you seek out Petit Fracas, you may find her to be much less of a diva and who knows she may just surprise you. If however, you loved the original then you cannot miss Petit Fracas, she may be less of a diva but she has more than enough minx-like attitude to keep you satisfied.

For those of you who like your cutesy sweet scents, don’t head into your department stores looking for the latest celebrity scent, Petit Fracas puts all those other Bubblegum Princesses to shame, and anyway she’s the daughter of one of the most famous fragrances in the world, she demands to be noticed.

Availability

Petit Fracas is part of Robert Piguet’s Classic Collection and is available in 100ml Eau de Parfum for £130. It is currently exclusive to Selfridges in the UK.*

Madeleine from Australian Perfume Junkies here. Been lurking for a while and love the blog. Beautiful review! I’m a big tubey and Fracas fan, so waiting with bated breath for this one and your words have assauged any worries about it!

What a great review. I love how well you describe the personality of Petit Fracas.

As you are such a lover of the original, this version must be good to impress you. It does sound like it was well thought through with nice original touches like the pear in the top and chocolate in the base.

Wow. You have now created a lemming :) I am wearing Fracas today, just to gear myself up for sampling Petit Fracas. Fracas holds a dear place in my heart since my mother has memories of it back in the forties as a young working woman in Chicago. Now I am wearing it as an old working woman, ha ha.
What a marvelous review. Perfect for a Monday morning. Thanks.

“Stride of pride” – bahahahaaaaa! LOVE IT! This sounds delightful. I’ll give it a whirl because Fracas’s drydown does not get along well with my skin and so I can’t enjoy it on myself. I think the chocolatey musk drydown might be worth a try.

What a great review! I really like Fracas, more so on other people. I have a hard time wearing Fracas. It’s just so big and powerful that it wears me. So I am definitely going to seek this one out to try!

When you said, “scream ‘tuberose’ at the top of her lungs,” I instantly thought of that Chanel commercial for Egoïste. Do you remember that one? All the women opening those French windows and shouting “Egoïste!” at the top of their lungs?

Hi CPB, I’ve been following your SOTD on twitter and since you loved Petit Fracas and wore it often I have been on the hunt for a smell and a tester. I love the original Fracas, but find her a bit of a Vamp, too much so for me to wear. BUT it seems Australian stores are behind the times because I can’t find it anywhere and I’m searching high and low :( Apparently I just have to wait… I’m not very good at waiting.

I was so intrigued by this I had to stop at Selfridges on the way into work just to try it out – and you weren’t kidding – this is no wallflower! Fracas fascinates me, but I am not ready to wear it yet, so I was interested to see what this would do, but blimey that pear opening is HUGE on me. A small spray of this has completely obliterated the Shalimar Initial I sprayed on this morning! This is definitely sweeter than the original but I still find it over-whelming and it turns out it is the naughty undertones of Fracas that has kept my interest, I am just going to have to wait until I grow into the Grand Dame after all…

Hmm, you have got me very intrigued about this one, and I wonder whether to recommend it to my Fracas- and Scandal-loving friend, just to see if she might consider it for office wear. Mind you, she wears Fracas to the office already…Hey, I might just like it for myself! Very likely, I’d say, from your description.

Thanks so much for the wonderful review! Definitely interested in giving Petit Fracas a sniff now. :D I’d love to know your opinion: How do you think Petit Fracas compares with Juicy Couture? I find tuberose in the original Fracas a bit much (I don’t dislike it, it’s just a little too All-Tuberose-All-the-Time for my taste), but I love Juicy Couture and have no issues wearing the tuberose there.

Oops, sorry for the late reply! Thanks your opinion, it sounds like Petit Fracas might be a little tuberose-heavy for me, but I’ll still give it a go! Funnily enough I didn’t have any issues with Amarige… maybe my nose is broken, heh.

So I finally got the chance to test out Petit Fracas on my recent vacation, and your comparison to JC is 100% dead-on! On me, it’s GIANT SUGARY FRUIT, battling it out with an even bigger MONSTER TUBEROSE that eventually smashes the fruit into submission, with a keg’s worth of chocolate drenching everything for good measure.

…I bought a bottle. Love this stuff! :D And I definitely have you to thank for my new acquisition!